Her Baby Brother
by Omega Ultra
Summary: One-Shot: Ever since she was young, Lori has acted as the leader of her siblings. Typically, this would include helping them deal with the facts of life she knew all too well. Yet, this time it's up to Lincoln to teach Lori a lesson or two about life, families and growing up.


**A/N Hey guys! I'm back with another one-shot! Though, this time it's one that wasn't requested or anything. Instead, Wolvenstrom sent me a random scene with the line, "I just had to write this down" and I decided to write the one-shot based on that. I hope you guys enjoy the result!**

 **As always, R &R!**

 _ **Story Summary/Prompt: Lori realizes an important fact of life and her family. (Scene prompt by Wolvenstrom).**_

Her Baby Brother

"Hold still now Lana. I wanna make sure I get your height just right." A young, blonde-haired woman ordered as she held up the small, blue marker just above her sister's head.

"Hurry Lori!" The younger girl went, her voice filled with a soft excitement, "I wanna see if I'm taller than Lola or not!"

Lori smiled in response, before with a single precise motion; she marked her younger sister's height. "Ok Lana, it's done!"

Immediately the younger girl turned around, hoping that what she would see was the answer she so longed for. Her heart raced in anticipation, as her eyes fell on a blue and a pink mark. "Dangit…" She muttered." And with a soft frown, Lana's excitement turns to disappointment, "I'm still a millimeter shorter than Lola!"

"Don't worry Lana." Lori smiled, before kneeling down to her sister, "Just because you're shorter than her now doesn't mean you won't get taller than her later!"

"You mean it Lori?" Lana turned and looked up to her sister. Her eyes and voice were filled with a begging, yet hopeful tone.

Lori responded by placing her hands on Lana's shoulders, "You're the older twin remember?" Her voice filled with a soft, motherly softness, "I have no doubt that you're gonna make up that millimeter and then some!" With that said, the older blonde stood up and ruffled her sister's hair.

"Haha." Lana laughed, "You mean it Lori?"

The young woman nodded, "Yeah Lana, I mean it." Then with a maternal smile she continued, "Now why don't you head upstairs and school Lola in something else? After all, just cause you're not taller than her yet, doesn't mean you can't beat her at something else in the meantime!"

Lana rubbed her chin for a moment, before snapping her fingers, "That gives me an idea!" And with that, the younger girl turned and rushed up the stairs; no doubt she would be hearing the twins' competitions in a few moments.

"Heh…" Lori smiled, before turning back to face the doorway she had marked once again. Like many other families, the Louds had kept a record of just how tall their children were getting by marking the kitchen doorway with their favorite color.

A soft, motherly smile overtook the young woman. _"Heh, Lana's grown quite a bit since the last time we checked."_ Lori chuckled, before she took a look at the other marks. Slightly above Lana's was a small, pink line, no doubt for Lana's twin, Lola. Just above their marks was a black one, most likely Lucy's. Above that rested an orange mark, that one was definitely Lincoln's.

A nostalgic air began to surround Lori, "Heh, I remember these." She whispered, before running her hand over the multi-colored marks.

*Beep* *Beep* A familiar device went, and Lori dug into her pocket and pulled it out in response, _**"Hey Babe, I gotta go for a bit. Work's gettin' tough and I can't keep up."**_ **–Bobby.**

" _ **No problem Boo-boo bear. Text me back when things cool off."**_ **–Lori**. The young woman typed, before taking a deep breath, _"Heh, he's gettin' busier and busier."_ Then she shoved the device back in her pocket and gazed upon the doorframe once more.

Above the orange mark were turquoise, purple, and yellow; though they were only a few inches above the orange one, resting at just about the girl's chest height.

" _Now that I think about it, it's been years since I measured those girls…"_ Lori thought, before looking just above those three marks to find her own, sky blue one. She put on a soft smile. _"But I guess that just comes with growing up huh?"_ With that in mind, she turned and walked up the stairs she had traversed countless times before.

"Lori!" Her four-year-old sister, Lisa, called, causing the eldest to turn and face her.

"Yeah Lisa?" The eldest sister responded, her voice filling with a nonchalant, yet soft tone.

Lisa adjusted her glasses, "When constructing my computer desk, dad forgot to scale it down to my height..." then she awkwardly tapped her fingers together, "So I am currently unable to reach my printer…"

"And you want me bring your results down for you?" Lori finished.

"Yes please." Lisa nervously answered.

Lori gave a nonchalant shrug, "Ok Lisa, I'll do it."

"Really?" Lisa went in surprise, "Splendid!" And with that, she turned and bolted into her room, while Lori calmly followed her inside.

"It's right there Lori!" The four-year-old motioned towards the printer placed on the top shelf of the newly constructed computer desk. The device would be within reach for the young adult the desk had been designed for, but well out of reach of a child.

Then the young woman calmly grabbed a small, white piece of paper from the output and read aloud, "DNA Genome Test Results – Expected height." She put the data sheet aside and glared at her young sister, "Were you messing with DNA manipulation again?! You know how mom and dad feel about that!"

"Calm down sister." Lisa responded, "I have done nothing of the sort." Then, the four-year-old walked over to a strange looking device that consisted of a base and a cylindrical chamber on top, "I just wanted to test out my new analyzer."

"So you took our DNA and looked at it?" Lori tilted her head in both confusion and curiosity.

"Precisely." The young scientist responded. "Though, I have had samples of your DNA for a while now."

The eldest sister gave a soft smile, even though she seemed to not care too much about her four-year-old sister's endeavors, she always held a soft spot for her. And as much as the scientist would love to deny it, she too enjoyed having a big sister to look up to… despite having to tutor her in pre-calculus every now and then.

"Huh… that's cool…" Lori went, before organizing the files, "Do you mind if I read these?"

"Not at all sister." Lisa responded, her voice unchanging.

And so, Lori Loud gazed upon the first page. The paper had a few lines of information about the subject at hand- in this case the young herself- with the genes that would decide her height and what the computer predicted her height to be at the bottom.

She read aloud, "Lori Loud, age seventeen, predicted height:" The young woman's eyes went wide in shock, "Six feet tall!"

"My, my sister, it looks like you're going to be quite the giant." Lisa quipped, though her voice did not change.

Lori smiled again, _"Heh, I guess that's great."_ As difficult as it was being the eldest, Lori relished the idea of her siblings looking up to her. She loved the fact that they could rely on her just as much as she could rely on them and the fact that they trusted her no matter what happened. With a bright expression, she handed the page to Lisa and read the next.

"Leni Loud, age sixteen, predicted height: five feet, nine inches." The elder sister shrugged with that, "Ehh, I'm not surprised. Leni always found short people kinda cute." And with that said, she quietly repeats the process and hands the page to Lisa.

"Luna Loud, age fifteen, predicted height: five feet, eight inches." Lori gave a soft chuckle with that, "Slightly shorter than Leni, heh, I doubt Luna would care though." Then Lisa takes the paper again.

"Luan Loud, age fourteen, predicted height: five feet, ten inches." The sisters looked at each other for a moment and groaned, dreading the thought of the countless height puns their sister would attempt to throw at them. "We're going to need you to finish your temporary muting ray one day." Lisa responded, "Agreed." After that, Lori continued reading

"Lynn Loud, age thirteen, predicted height: five feet, eleven inches." Lori gave a soft chuckle with that, while she thought, _"Almost six feet tall, not bigger than me, but perfect for an athlete like herself."_

Then, she flipped to the next page, "Lucy… wait." The eldest sister looked at the four-year-old in confusion, "Why's it jump to Lucy, where's Lincoln?"

Lisa calmly answered, "I sorted them by gender and age. Lincoln's the last one in the pile."

Lori looked down at the next page, "Oh… ok…" and with that, she read aloud, "Lucy Loud, age eight, predicted height: five feet, two inches." Then with a smug expression she continued, "Good thing she's a poet or else this height would probably matter more to her."

"I still don't understand the fascination with height." Lisa commented, before taking the sheet of paper from her elder sister, "All it does is cause differences in survivability and maneuverability. If you become too tall or too short, things become much harder to pull off."

The young woman simply ignored her sister's complaint. "Next, Lana Loud, age six, predicted height: five feet, five inches." With another soft smile she commented, "She's going to a bit big, but just small enough to fit in those cramped spaces, just like a plumber would need to."

"That is her dream after all." Lisa went, "Well that, or being in charge of a pet shop."

"Heh, next is Lola…" She smiled, "Here goes." Her voice filled with amusement as she read, "Lola Loud, age six, predicted height: five feet, four inches." The eldest sister couldn't help but chuckle at the revelation, no doubt if the twins ever found out they'd fight for no reason other than, 'just cause'.

Lori chuckled once more, and handed that sheet to her young sibling, before reading, "Lisa Loud, age four, five feet, seven inches." Lori then looked upon the scientist, "Looks like you're going to get quite tall.

"Yes, quite." Lisa responded, "But at least it's not that bad. I will finally be able to reach things that I never could before."

"Haha!" Lori laughs, "Ok, let's see here, Lily Loud, age eighteen months, predicted height: five feet, six inches." Then she turned and looked upon the baby resting peacefully in her crib, before she whispered, "You're going to grow big and strong one day."

Finally, Lori moved onto the next file. Just like the rest it was decorated with a picture of her sibling, the only male child in the family, "Lincoln Loud, age eleven, predicted height:" the young woman's eyes go wide in shock, "Six feet, five inches!"

A wave of dread began to overtake the young woman. _"He's… he's going to be taller than me… Lincoln…"_ Lori's mind tried desperately to move away from the very notion that she would one day be out-heighted by her little brother…

"Uhh Lori," Lisa snapped her fingers in front of her, "Are you ok? You seem as if someone had used my prototype freeze ray on you… again."

Immediately, the young woman flinched, "Huh, oh, sorry Lisa." She responded, "I'm just… I didn't expect Lincoln to get so tall."

"Mother nature is a fickle thing dear sister." Lisa turned and adjusted her glasses, "Sometimes you're going to find someone whom has found a way to hit the genetic jackpot and sometimes you get the person who got the short end of the stick. The best thing you can do is go along with it."

"Ok Lisa…" Lori quietly responded, her mind desperate to understood what she had just read, _"Lincoln Loud, predicted height: six foot five… He is going to be the tallest sibling in the family one day…"_ Those words burned in her thoughts. Ever since she was young, she always found herself standing above her numerous siblings. To her, height was the same thing as her status in the home. After all, while she towered over her siblings, she remained slightly shorter than her parents, and as such, relied on them for more important decisions.

The mere idea that one of her younger… one of her baby siblings could one day surpass her… it was impossible! It had to be a lie!

"Are you sure that you are all right, Lori?" Lisa tilted her head in confusion, "It seems that those results are bugging you more than expected."

Lori shook her head, "No, it's nothing Lisa." Her voice and chest were filled with a burning pain. It was as if she had just been shot through the heart. "Anyways, I'll… be in my room if you need me."

Lisa shrugged, "Ok then. If you need me I'll be right here."

The eldest sister did not respond, choosing instead to calmly walk out of the room in silence.

She slowly made her way across the second floor hallway, careful not to address the sisters she held so dearly, despite what her typical demeanor would suggest; lest she be reminded of the painful truth.

" _Lincoln is going to be taller than me one day…"_ The thought repeated in her mind, _"My little brother… my baby brother is going to surpass me…"_

The carpet muffled her unsure steps when she walked into her room.

"Hey Lori!" a blonde young woman in a turquoise dress greeted, though instead of responding, Lori simply nodded as she walked passed.

Leni shrugged, most likely assuming that it was some boy troubles again.

The young woman then lied down on her bed, _"I wonder if those other numbers were true as well…"_ she threw the covers over herself with that, and shut her eyes.

 _Years earlier…_

"Come on Lori!" Lincoln shouted, his young voice cutting through the chaos that was their home.

"Calm down Lincoln!" Lori responded; her voice was filled with a motherly care. After that she chuckled at her brother's excitement, "I'll take your height, just calm down!" Then, the young woman shoved her hand into the box of colored markers and pulled out an orange one- Lincoln's favorite.

With that, the young boy ran over to kitchen doorway and stood up at attention, waiting with excitement as his eldest sister followed, "Ok Lincoln, hold still!"

Then, with a quick, accurate movement the young girl makes a line just above her five-year-old brother's white hair.

The young girl smiles with that. "You're getting so tall Linc! You're going to be taller than Lynn one day!" She then throws her arms around him, as if hoping that he could stay that same cute height forever.

"One day I hope I can become as tall as you Lori!" Lincoln shouted in joy, "You're so tall!"

"Heh, maybe one day Lincoln." The girl goes, before placing a soft, motherly kiss on his forehead, "Maybe one day."

Lincoln blushed with that, "But no matter what you're still going to be my big sis, Lori! I'll always love you!" and then, the young boy returns the embrace and hugs his sister as well.

A soft, motherly air overtook the two, as if the young Lori knew that one-day things would change, but did not want to face it.

"Uhh Lori, you're holding on too tight!" Lincoln chuckles.

"Sorry Linc." She responded, doing her best to fight the soft tears forming in her eyes, "Just… promise me that you won't get too tall for me? After all, you wouldn't be much of a baby brother if you're bigger than me!"

"Haha!" The white-haired boy affectionately laughed, "I'll try Lori! I'll try."

And with that, the Siblings hold on to their warm hug, as if nothing the world could throw could harm them.

 _Back in the present…_

Lori woke up, her pillow stained with her salty tears. What kind of big sister could she be if her little brother stood taller than her? The mere thought… no the mere notion of that possibility, scared her.

He would never need her again. She would never have an excuse to spend time with him again. He… she… they would drift apart! Lori dreaded the idea of her brother no longer wishing to spend time with her. Despite the chore that many would find helping her brother to be, Lori cherished those moments, even more than she would like to admit.

Of course, she knew she had to keep up the tough girl persona, lest the respect she through around the house would disappear.

"You know, if you're worried about something Lori, I'm pretty sure Lincoln could help you out! After all, he's like, totes great with that stuff!" Leni spoke, her voice filled with a naivety that most would find cute.

Quickly, the young woman wiped her tears, before sitting up on her bed. _"One day Lincoln's not going to need me… one day he's going to grow up and leave…"_

"You ok Lori?" Leni asked, tilting her head in confusion as she did so.

"Yeah Leni." Lori turned in her bed, "I'm fine… I just... I'll talk to Lincoln." And with that, she stood up and walked out of her room, before turning to face the hallway once more. Her mind races passed the countless possibilities that Lincoln growing up would bring. One day he would go to college, he would find a boy or girl, maybe start a family with them, have kids, and find his place in life.

Lori took a deep breath, _"One day he'll leave us and move on…"_ then she took in the home around her.

Unlike before, the hallway was filled with the usual chaos of the Loud House. In the room across from her own, Luan and Luna simply sat in their beds as they practiced the arts they held so dear. In the room in front of the stairs, she found Lynn and Lucy simply practicing their talents as well. As for Lisa and Lily, Lori already knew what they would be doing in their room. Though, she did find the twins at the base of the stairway, checking their height markers just as they had done countless times before.

"Haha! I'm still a millimeter taller!" Lola taunted. Only for Lana to respond, "Oh yeah! I'll grow and beat you one day!" And with that, the duo began to fight and fell into the kitchen. No doubt their parents would probably break them up in a few moments.

Lori gave a soft chuckle with that, before turning to face the former linen closet. The young woman's heart raced as she took hold of the knob, _"Last chance Lori, last chance to back away."_ Yet instead of letting go, she turned the handle and pushed her way into the boy's room.

"Hey Lori?" Lincoln greeted, "what brings you here?" The young boy, despite what he would normally do, had decided against undressing to read his comic books. Lori mentally sighed, thankful that her next actions would not be as awkward as she had expected.

The young woman smiled, before putting her arms around her brother, "What? I can't try to spend time with my little brother? After all... he's not going to be so little forever." Soft tears begin to flow down her face as she pulls him tighter into the hug. _"He's going to grow up... he's going to move on a not need me. He's going to forget about us..."_

"Heh, of course not." Lincoln responded, "I just didn't expect you to come all of a sudden. Is something bothering you sis?" before putting his arms around his sister as well, returning the hug.

" _I'm going to miss his caring nature… the bonds..."_ Lori thought, before taking a deep breath, "No, nothing's wrong…"

"Come on Lori." Lincoln continued, "Something's buggin' ya. Come on, spill." A soft, fatherly smile began to form on his face as he pushed into the hug more.

The young woman sighed, "Sorry Linc… I just… I'm worried that when you grow up and move on with you're going to leave us. That you're not going to care about us or ever need me again…"

"Lori…" Lincoln pushed her off, "You know that no matter what happens I'll always need you." The young boy gazed into his sister's soft, worried eyes. "After all, you're you! Without you this place would fall apart."

"True…" Lori responded, looking away as she did so. "But... what'll happen when you grow up?"

Yet, Lincoln placed his hand on her cheek and continued with a soft, soothing voice, "Even if I'm looking down at you one day, I'm going to need you. You're my big sister, and nothing will ever change that."

Then, the young boy pulled the young woman back into the tight, loving hug. Once again it was as if nothing the world could throw would be able to harm them. "You're my sister Lori, I love you."

"Thanks Lincoln..." Lori whispered, "I love you too." and with that, the young woman's panicked mind fell at ease. Even though one day the younger brother she held so dear would one day look down on her, he'll always be her little brother… her baby brother.

 _ **The End.**_

"6-1-13-9-12-25: 12-9-11-5 2-18-1-14-3-8-5-19 15-14 1 20-18-5-5. 15-21-18 12-9-22-5-19 13-1-25 7-18-15-23 9-14 4-9-6-6-5-18-5-14-20 4-9-18-5-3-20-9-15-14-19, 25-5-20 15-21-18 18-15-15-20-19 23-9-12-12 18-5-13-1-9-14 1-19 15-14-5." –21-14-11-14-15-23-14.

 **A/N I hope you guys enjoyed this one-shot! I thank LovecraftFan and Sunblast-X for helping me with this! As always, feel free to PM me ideas you'd like to see me do and ways that I could improve! And as always, I wish you all the best!**


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